Piano-action.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

H.O.GLARK, PIANO ACTION; APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1907.

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.1 d. Em i t A i PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

H. 0. CLARK.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6,'1907.

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HORACE O. CLARK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed August 6, 1907. Serial No. 387,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE O. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Piano-Action, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to piano actions, and has for its princi al object to provide an action of very simp e and economical construction, and which may be very accurately adjusted to secure proper positioning of the parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of action in which any key may be depressed any number of times in rapid succession for the purpose of repeating a note without the necessity of waiting for the complete recovery .or return of the ack and hammer to the initial position of rest.

A still further object of the invention is to preserve operative relation between the,

hammer butt and jack, so that the latter may throw the hammer rearward against the string at any time during the recovery or return movement of the said hammer.

A still further object of the invention is to form a lock that will hold the hammer butt at the completion of its operative movement.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved means for insuring the recovery of the action; that is to say,. the movement of the parts to normal position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a piano action in which the hammer butt carries a combined back check and hammer retracting member which coacts with the ack in forming a back stop and in restoring the various parts of the action to initial position, and at the same time avoids the necessity of employing the usual hammer returning springs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an action in which the wippen is de pressed by a light spring and movement is thereby transmitted from the wippen to the jack, from the jack to the hammer, and at the same time downward stress is exerted on the abstract and through the abstract to the key lever, tending to move all of the parts to the initial position.

WVith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of con struction and arrangement of parts, herein- I after fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the ad vantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a piano action constructed in accordance with the invention, the parts being shown in the normal position of rest. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the upper portion of the action, showing the position assumed by the parts after the hammer blow, and before the release of the key. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the mechanism illustrating a slightly modified construction. Figs. 4. and 5 are views corres onding to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively, and ill iistrating a further modification of the invention. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the hammer retracting rod.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs.

The action includes a hammer rail A, a hammer rest rail B, and a key D, all of which may be of the ordinary construction.

To the rail A is secured a flange 10 to which is pivoted a wippen 11, the forward portion of the wippen being pivotally connected to the upper end of an abstract 12 that is guided by a link 13. The abstract is engaged by the rear end of the key lever as usual. The flange 10 is provided with a pin 14 around which is coiled a spring 15, one end of the spring being secured to the flange or pin, and the opposite end bearing against the upper surface of the wippen and tending to depress the same. This spring acts as will hereinafter appear to assist in' returning the whole action to the initial position of rest and avoids the necessity of using a separate hammer butt spring and other springs ordinarily employed. I I To the forward face of the rail A is secured a flange 18 to which is pivoted a hammer butt 19 carrying a hammer 20 of any ordinaryv construction. The lower portion of the forward face of the hammer butt is provided with a recess in which is arranged a cushion 21, the face of which is arranged to be engaged by the upper end of a jack 22. The top of the jack is square and the face of the cushion 21 where the jack engages when the parts are in the normal position of rest, is correspondingly shaped, as shown in Fig. 1, forming a right angled recess 23, and. from thence outward the cushion has an inclined face 24, so proportioned with respect to the jack and the pivot point of the hammer butt that the jack may engage therewith for the purpose of imparting movement to the hammer at practically any point between the striking point and the position of rest, so that a quick and positive repeat may be obtained. without the necessity of waiting for the hammer to move back against the hammer rest rail.

The lower end of the jack is pivoted to a flange 26 carried by the wippen, and the lower portion of said jack has a forwardly extending arm 27 that is arranged to be engaged by a throw off or stop in the form of a padded or cushioned block 28 that is carried by an adjustable screw 29 passing through a threaded opening in a throw off rail 30. 1t will be seen that during the upward movement of the wippen and jack, the arm 27 will engage the throw off, so that the upper end of the jack will be moved forward, and the extent of this forward movement is determined by a back check 31 which the upper portion of the jack engages.

in the construction shown in Figs. .1 and 2, the hammer butt is provided with an arm that carries an obliquely disposed rod 33, the 1 od being preferably threaded and mounted in a threaded opening in the arm to permit adjustment, and the outer end of this red is shown as flattened in order that it may be engaged by pincers or a like tool. The back check 31 is preferably in the form of a disk which may be adjusted on the rod 33 in order to determine the extent of movement of the jack. For this purpose the disk may be threaded and arranged to turn on a threaded portion of the rod 33, or it may be otherwise adjusted. The rod 33 takes the place of a bridle, and its rear end passes through a vertically elongated slot 35 in the upper portion of the aok. Immediately above the slot, the forward face of the jack is provided with a projecting lug or shoulder 36 on which is secured a cushion 37, the shoulder and cushion forming a rounded stop which, as the jack is thrown forward, will tend to wedge itself in the right-angled recess formed between the disk 31 and the rod 33.

In addition to the back check 31, an auxiliary back check 38 may be used, the back check 38 being shown in the form of a cushioned disk or block that is carried by an adjustable screw 39 that extends through a threaded opening in the arm 32. This auxiliary back check is not essential, although it adds to the effectiveness of the dethe parts and securing the desired. interlock between the hammer butt, the back check and the throw off for the purpose of preventing a rebound of the hammer in the direction of the string after the completion of the hammer stroke. The rail A further carries a damper flange a on which is pivoted a damper operated by a pin 2 projecting from. the wippen.

In operation, the depression of the key raises the abstract. Upward movement is thus imparted to the jack, and the latter acting on the hammer butt throws the hammer rearward in the direction of the string. As the up-ward movement of the jack continues, the arm 27 will engage the throw-oil 2S and the upper portion of the jack will be thrown. forward and the arm 32 swung upward with the hammer butt, and this brings the cushion 37 of the jack and the rod 33 together, the jack sliding on the rod 33 pulling the hammer back after it strikes the string, and the cushion 37 of the jack then binding in the angular space between the rod33 and the back check 31, so that positive movement of the hammer is stopped. after it strikes the string. The hammer is now locked so long as the key is held in place, and it cannot rebound to strike the string a second time.

When the downward pressure on the key is relieved, the weight of the abstract, wi p pen and jack, assisted by the stress of the spring 15, will move these parts down and the jack will be pulled down. As a result, the curved lower edge of the cushion 37, which is now resting on the hammer retracting rod 33, exerts downward. pull on the hammer retracting rod, and as the jack slides down, there is a cam action exerted on the rod that tends to pull the hammer butt andv hammer outward in the direction of the hammer rest rail. At the same time the back check 31 will force the jack back into place under the hammer butt. The downward movement due to the action of the spring and the weight of the parts is transmitted from the wippen to the abstract and from the abstract to the key, quickly restoring all of the parts to the initial position of rest. Should it be desired to repeat the same note a number of times, the key is allowed to rise slightly, and is again struck while the parts are recovering. During all of therecovering operation, the upper end of the jack willfollow the inclined surface 24 of the hammer butt, or the cushion 7 thereof, and while notin contact with the butt to an extent to produce appreciable friction, the jack will at all times be in such. a position as to strike an effective blow and transmit positive movement to the hammer while the parts are returning from the position shown 1n Fig. 2.

It will be seen that the rod 33 performs the functions of a butt spring and bridle strap as vice in no erl sto 3 nin the movement of i used in the ordinar r action to brin back the hammer, and the disk 31 performs the function of the ordinary back check in locking the hammer after striking the strings and of the jack spring in keeping the jack constantly in place under the butt of the hammer.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 3, the arm 32 is carried by an extended lug 40 on the hammer butt and supports the hammer retracting rod .33, while the auxiliary stop 38 is dispensed with. In other respects the construction is the same as previously described.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the hammer retracting rod 33' is in the form of a rod or wire, the upper portion of which is curved into approximately semi-circular form, and that end which is secured to the hammer butt is threaded, so that it may be turn-ed to one side to facilitate repairs or adjustment. The back stop 31 is mounted on this rod and may beprovided with a threaded opening for the passage of a threaded portion of said rod in order to permit adjustment, but as a rule it is preferred to' make the rod of soft iron or steel, which may be readily bent by the tuners clamp forthe purpose of effecting the desired adjustment.

I claim 1. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a jack, a jack engaging hammer retracting rod carried by the hammer butt, and an adjustable back check carried by the rod and with which the jack engages.

2. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a jack arranged to engage the butt and provided with a vertically elongated slot, a projecting lug or shoulder carried by the ack above the slot, a hammer butt supported rod arranged to enter the slot, and a back check carried by said rod.

3. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a jack arranged to engage the butt and provided with a vertically elongated slot, a cushioned projection carried by the jack above the slot, a hammer retracting rod carried by the hammer butt and entering said slot, and a back check supported by the rod and forming withthe latter an angular recess for the reception of such cushioned projection.

4. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a

jack arranged to engage the same, the jack having a vertically elongated slot, a hammer retracting rod carried by the hammer butt and entering the slot, and a back check carried by the rod for engagement with the 'ack. J 5. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a vertically slotted jack arranged to engage the same, the jack having a shouldered projection on its forward face above the slot, a hammer retracting rod supported by the hammer butt and entering the slot, and a back check carried by the rod and forming in connection with the latter an angular recess for the reception of said shouldered projection.

6. In a piano action, a hammer butt, a vertically slotted jack arranged to engage the same, an arm carried by the hammer butt, a hammer retracting rod extending from the arm and entering the slot, a back check carried by the rod, and an adjustable auxiliary back check carried by said arm.

7. In. a piano action, a key, an abstract, a wippen, a slotted ack carried by the wippen, a hammer butt with which the jack engages, a hammer retracting rod carried by the hammer butt and extending through the slot in the jack, and a spring engaging the wippen and tending to restore all of the parts to initial position.

8. In a piano action, a key, an abstract, a wippen, a slotted jack carried by the wippen, a hammer butt, a hammer retracting rod extending from the hammer butt and engaging the slot in said jack, and a spring engaging the wippen and tending through the ack and hammer retracting rod to exert a downward pull on the hammer.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HORACE O. CLARK.

Witnesses:

HERBERT F. WHITE, FRANK F. KIEFER. 

